Canaries
by Sol en la Noche
Summary: Hermione has fallen ill as a result of the war, and now she and her loved ones must deal with the consequences.


Disclaimer: I love you J. K. Rowling! Don't sue me or steal my underwear! I haven't stolen your characters, merely borrowed them for an undeterminable amount of time.

Intro: This isn't your everyday fic, but please trudge through it and tell me what you think!

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He didn't call again. 

I was sitting by the phone all day, waiting for him to call. But he didn't.

My friend. Ginny. Told me that I was being silly, that wizards don't call, that they owl or floo.

But I was waiting for him to call. I don't know how long I was waiting. I waited yesterday, and the day before that.

And today.

Today I saw a canary. It was yellow, like dung-fly wings which mitigate the efficacy of lavender in sleep potions, but not.

The canary flew away. I stayed by the window and waited for him to call.

Last night I dreamed. When I told Ginny, she told me to shoosh.

There were masks and fires. Everything was dark. Not like my room. My room is white. Canaries are yellow.

I like canaries, but it flew away. Then I waited for him to call.

Ginny took me to bed and I laid in the bed and waited. But then my body felt heavy. Then it was tomorrow.

I waited by the window again. When I turned around Harry was there. I like Harry and his green eyes. Broccoli is green. Death is green. Canaries are yellow.

"Why don't we play a game of wizards' chess?" He looked at me with those green eyes. He looks at me the way Ginny looks at me. They all have the same eyes, just different colors.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm waiting for him to call."

"Ron is not going to call. He's dead Hermione." Harry was looking out the window too now.

"I don't like being dead" I say.

"You're not dead, just… Play wizards' chess with me."

I look at him again. "But what if he calls when I'm away?"

"Ron is dead, Hermione, he can't call."

"I know. Ron is dead. Canaries are yellow."

"They how can Ron call you if he is dead?"

I look at Harry, my brows are close together. "Ron is dead. He isn't going to call me. I'm waiting for him to call."

Harry's green eyes got bigger.

We played his game later. I was black. He was white. Canaries are yellow. I like canaries.

Then I went to bed. My bed is white.

I had a dream again. It was hot and small and dark when I woke up. In my dream it hurt. I like canaries I thought. Canaries sing. I tried to sing. But my voice was small and caught.

No one came to see me today. So I waited for him to call.

When the sky turned pink I decided that he wasn't. My bed is white. The sky is pink. Lavender is used in the Dreamless sleep potion.

Lavender is…

I woke up.

It was cold and damp. It was dark. His eyes are black.

I looked up at him. "I was waiting for you to call."

He put his hand on my hand. His hand is shaking. Mine is still.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I… did not think that you would know me. I couldn't stand to see you if you could not remember who I am. What we were… I've missed you so much." He pulled me up. I was startled, but then he hugged me. I like hugs.

He smelled like something I don't remember. Then he looked at me like I was supposed to say something.

"Canaries are yellow," I said.

He looked surprised. Maybe he has never seen a canary before.

"When Potter told me that you… Maybe I thought that you remembered me. Hermione, do you remember me?"

I looked at him funny. "Of course, I was waiting for you to call."

Then he looked at me funny. Then he closed his eyes and nodded his head. People nod their heads, when they say yes.

"I have been working on a way to counteract the long term effects of the cruciatus. I was since what happened to Alice and Frank." Then he touched my hair, "But it's more crucial than ever before."

He stayed for a long time, but my body and eyes got heavy and then it was morning and then he was gone.

He came back. The next night. And then the next.

Sometimes he would have me drink funny smelling drinks and sometimes he would show me books and pictures.

There was one picture of me in a kitten suit. I asked him why I was a kitten and he just smiled and took back the picture.

Tonight we were sitting by the window and he was looking at me. His eyes are black.

"Hermione, do you know who I am?"

"Yes! I was waiting for you to call."

"Yes, yes. But do you know my name?"

"I like canaries, but canaries don't come when it is dark. You come when it is dark. Dreams are dark. Canaries sing. Eyes are green, blue, black-"

"Hermione, what is my name?"

"Severus."

"Yes, now how do you know me?"

"I was waiting for you to call."

"But before I called you, how did we know each other?"

I looked out the window. It was dark. I was looking outside for a long time.

He touched my shoulder. He looked sad.

"Hermione I have to leave, but I will see you soon." Canaries can sing and I wanted to say something, but my voice was caught.

He only came a few more times after that. When he came to see me, his eyes looked like Ginny's and Harry's. Just different colors.

Then I was waiting again for him to call. But wizards can't call.

They can only owl. Or floo.

I was looking outside again. I saw a canary. I wanted to touch the canary. The canary is yellow. But there were wires in the way.

I like canaries.

Canaries can sing. Harry's eyes are green.

His are black. I wish I could sing.

Canaries are yellow

But my voice got caught

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Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review in the little box down below and let me know what you think, this was very different for me and I would very much appreciate some feedback. 

Thank you again!

-Sol en la Noche


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